Gusmao sees President’s 11 as strong opponents

THE national men’s football team settled for a 2-2 draw with the Papua New Guinea Football Association President’s 11 at PNG Football Stadium in Port Moresby on Saturday.
Coach Marcos Gusmao’s men were without skipper David Muta and defender Alwin Komolong for the friendly match.
The Brazilian told The National yesterday that it was a good match as coach Percy Mataio’s men gave the national team a tough match which allowed him to identify their weaknesses.
“It was a very good game because our opponents played hard football,” Gusmao said.
“That’s what I wanted to show us our weaknesses and improve over time.
“We played without two important players – Muta and Komolong – and some players were not feeling well.
“I had to field some players out of position and they tried their best.
“I hope we have another game against this same team, but with the inclusion of my main players.”
Meanwhile, Mataio said the game was about helping the national team identify their weaknesses in preparation for the World Cup regional qualifiers in Qatar.
“The game gave the Kapuls’ coaching staff a fair observation as to what they can do to help the team respond and improve,” he said.
“I am proud of what we did in the two weeks we have been together in camp here in Port Moresby.
“We had a simple game plan that we worked on for two weeks and to get the players to execute it says a lot about them.
“We built a team based on hard work and self-belief, and it made a lot of difference in the way we played.”